In all my years of architecture school and practice, there seems to be a pervasive myth that my job is pretty and easy. Here, I reveal the painful, ugly truth about why it takes so long to build a building, what it is exactly that we do, and why that's not creamer you smell in my coffee.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

So Howie and I made the long trek this morning to see Wheatlands. I've alluded to Wheatlands a time or two, but it's my primary project that's nearly complete with construction. I started working on it back in October of 2005, when we met with the hospital staff to get the locations of the departments in the right places on the site. Wheatlands Hospital is in Wheatlands, Kansas, and it's presently a 30,000 square foot building, most of which dates back to 1950. They added on an "updated" patient wing back in 1994, but it's got serious funk. So, we're giving them a new replacement facility that's more than twice the size of what they have now.We drove out for an OAC meeting; OAC stands for Owner-Architect-Contractor. Everyone gets together to make sure construction's going well, talk about potential problems, and make sure things are generally being taken care of. Wheatlands is nearly done and opens in June, so it's looking really nice. The metal panel on the exterior entryway was being installed, and the rep from the hospital had to get his knickers in a twist because it wasn't the metallic color he wanted/pictured. That's right, I told him. We too wanted it to be a metallic color, but when we looked at metal samples with the rest of the building's exterior, it wasn't going to look good. So, we went with a light tan that was originally shown on the building that the hospital board approved over a year ago. On of my many jobs as an architect is to save the client from themselves now and then. We'll see if the hospital rep gets over it or not--i don't know if he'd be happy if you beat him with a brand new stick. Meanwhile, the rest of the building walk went well. I took some great photos for a fantastical lovely detail of the week next week, but alas, there shall be none this week. I'm going to the spa.We had a great trip and site visit. This has been the smoothest building construction I've seen in 6+ years. Too bad Howie and I had to return to pandemonium. We got back to the office in time for me to fix a few things and do some filing before I left, and I see my dear coworker Jimmy Ray come out of a Pomme de Terre CAD meeting rubbing his temples. "Kill. Me. Now," he said."What's wrong?" I said. "Were you just in a CAD meeting?"He nodded. "Wanda prnounced that 'ADT sucks', said 'well evidently I'm a distraction', and stormed out. She actually left the office for the day just now."I rolled my eyes. "Okay, first of all, 'ADT sucks' is my line," I retorted. "I said that in the fall of 2005 on Wheatlands, so she owes me royalties."Jimmy Ray rocked back in his chair. "That's right! She owes you money, g! That's your line!""Plus," I said. "you can't say that ADT sucks until you actually use it. She's just been butchering it for three months."Jimmy Ray nearly fell out of his chair laughing.I later saw Sarge, who shook his head sadly and rummaged through my desk in search of an icepick. "There's always your car door," I said in an attempt to console him.Liz was reviewing some drawings with Howie at his desk the last time I looked up. When I looked up again a few minutes later, Howie was talking in a quiet corner with Liz and Sarge. I heard Howie suggest a conference room. That was at 3:55. They were still talking when I left at 4:50. Am I going to hell for hoping that Wanda leaves or is asked to leave? I really wish she'd just chew a 'lude and take it easy, but I don't know if she's capable of speaking without hostility at this point. It might be better if she just went elsewhere and started over again.However......it's hard to fully care right now......because I'm going to the spa.....(Oh, don't get all pissed; we're coming back Tuesday.)

About Me

I'm a (finally) licensed architect out here in the wild, wild West who kicks butts and punches lists. I focus on designing hospitals, which--between the program and the clients--is a real challenge. I like what I do for a living, and have the site observation photos to prove it. My job is part designer, part technician, part software guru, part counselor, part therapist, part spiritual guide, and part repo man. So don't toy with me, or I'll refuse to sign your Pay Application.

Note and Disclaimer

The content on this blog is not approved by my employers, fellow employees, or any professional organization involved in the design or construction industry. The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone and should not be considered representative of the opinions of my employers or my profession.
Any professional opinions, design concepts, layouts, and details should be taken with a grain of salt and a large margarita. This blog should not be used in place of consulting a design or construction professional in person, nor should it be a substitute for having a professional review your particular project.
All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty.
No, I will not design your deck for you.